Wild Mushroom and Parsnip Ragout with Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients

Ragout

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 thyme sprig
• 200g (1 medium) parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
• 340g mixed wild mushrooms (maitake, shiitake, porcini, and/or crimini), cut into 1cm pieces
• 18g (1 tbsp) miso paste
• 15g (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• ½ tsp cornstarch
• ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 60ml (¼ cup) red wine
• 360ml (1½ cups) room-temperature water, plus more by the tablespoon as needed

Polenta

• 160g (1 cup) quick-cooking polenta
• 1.2L (5 cups) whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 50g (½ cup) parmesan, finely grated, divided

To Finish

• 30g (¼ cup) roasted unsalted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

Build the Ragout

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and begins to release moisture, 2–3 minutes.
2. Add parsnip and cook until it begins to soften, 3–5 minutes more.
3. Add mushrooms and remaining 1 tbsp oil. Cook until mushrooms are well-browned and cooked through, 5–7 minutes.
4. Add miso paste, tomato paste, and ¾ tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until the tomato paste begins to caramelise, about 1 minute.
5. Add cornstarch and stir to coat, about 30 seconds. Add red wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Add 360ml water and bring to a simmer, continuing to scrape the bottom. If the pan starts to dry out, add water by the tablespoon. Cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10–12 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

Cook the Polenta

7. While the ragout simmers, combine polenta, milk, and 1 tsp salt in a separate pot. Cook according to polenta package directions, stirring frequently.
8. When the polenta thickens, stir in half the parmesan (25g). Taste and adjust salt and milk as needed — the polenta should be creamy and loose.

Assemble

9. Spoon polenta into a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Top with mushroom ragout, the remaining parmesan, and the chopped hazelnuts.